As the General Election (GE15) has been set on 19 November, the caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri has declared 18 and 19 November as a special public holiday. The main reason for the holiday is to encourage all Malaysians to vote. Other than that, airline businesses have been offering discounts for those who are flying back to their hometown and the F&B industry would also be offering a plethora of discounts and freebies.
Unfortunately, even with these attractive ‘bonuses’, there are still some Malaysians who refuse to vote and just yesterday, a Malaysian lawyer has shared a few reasons/excuses as to why some Malaysians refuse to vote on his Facebook page.
In his post he said,
“Here are some of the reasons/excuses I’ve been told. Feel free to add on any other reasons you’ve heard in the comments!”
The lawyer then responded to some of the reasons with his reaction and here’s what he has received:
- My husband voted for me (what do you mean your husband voted for you?)
Each citizen is only allowed to vote once and there’s no such thing as helping when it comes to voting as you’ll be identified based on your IC.
- My family and I are going on a trip. We’ve planned this long ago.
- I’m afraid it’ll be really hot and sunny, but if it rains, I’ll be soaked.
- I don’t know anything about politics and I’m not sure who are the candidates. It’s confusing.
Your ballot paper will consist of the party logo as well as the candidate’s name. If you find it confusing, you may refer information online as there are
- I’m afraid I’ll catch Covid.
- I wasn’t able to apply leave (didn’t the government declare 18 and 19 November as a public holiday?) My boss says that our office will operate as per usual.
- Many people have been telling me that a specific party will 100% win.
- No one can look after my child.
- I don’t like any of the candidates that are running for prime minister.
- I just got my nails done (it felt like I died on the spot when I heard this)
There has been confirmation that manicures WILL NOT affect your voting status or the ink. You’re allowed to vote as per normal.
The post garnered over 1,000 comments and some of them have shared other reasons they’ve heard.
A netizen shared how some people aren’t going to vote as they think their votes wouldn’t make a difference.
Another netizen shared that some would choose to rest at home as public holidays aren’t easy to come by.
This is a gentle reminder to please head out and vote for the sake of your future. Every vote matters and it’s a great way to celebrate the democracy our ancestors fought for us.
Have you heard of any bizarre reasons? Let us know in the comments below.
Also read: Voting For The First Time? Here Are 6 Things You Should Take Note of During GE15!
